Our week has been a fun one - lots of wrapping and last minute sewing and such. We got together with Newell and family for decorating Christmas cookies. All of us, but especially the kids, loved loading up our cookies with frosting and sprinkles and trying to make them look pretty and taste delicious. As you can see - we succeeded!! We also succeeded in making a mess and loading our kids up with sugar. :)
My Aunt and Uncle and cousins flew in on Tuesday and stopped by on the way back to Grandpa's from the Airport. It was fun to see them and to see how much they have grown. They are no longer the little kids they were when I last saw them. They are now much taller and much more mature. The kids had a blast playing with them and it was nice to catch up.
Dan had Friday off - so I did a bit of last minute Christmas shopping - then barely got home in time to take off for the family Christmas Eve party. We got together at Frank and Tina's for Bagna Caulda and other yummy food. Bagna Caulda is an Italian sauce - but in our family it's more - it's a holiday tradition with tons of memories attached to it. I still remember as a child trying it and loving it, I remember my dad trying to find creative ways to break 'the rules' and dip his bread in the sauce safely. I remember singing Christmas carols around the piano with my Uncle Doug playing - I remember when I was finally old enough and good enough to play a song during the caroling. Friday was the beginning of memories for my kids as they each took their first taste of Bagna Caulda - with varying amounts of enthusiasm. Eileen took a couple tries to really like it - while Anna couldn't get enough. Aaron and Evie both just liked gnawing on the soaked bread.
Christmas Morning was fun. Dan and I were tired from being up wrapping presents (lol - since I hadn't wrapped hardly anything before) But their enthusiasm was infectious. The kids LOVED finding presents - seeing who they were for and delivering them to the person. They girls were so excited to give the gifts they bought with their own money, and were so happy when they person liked their gift. They were thoughtful - willing to share and didn't once complain! We also had fun talking with family - we even got to talk to Grandma and Grandpa Jones on Skype. 
That evening we went to Stuart and Rebecca's for Dinner and gift exchanges. It was a huge mess and tons of fun!! The kids had a great time running amok with the kids and Dan and I had a great time enjoying the food and the company. :)Dan and I gave talks today in Church - I even managed to talk for nearly 10 minutes - that's a record for me.... Then for the rest of church - I played piano for the primary - and loved every minute of it!! Now we are hoping the kids are sleeping well and recovering from lots of excitement and not enough sleep!!
We are so blessed this holiday season with love and friendship and family!!
Merry Christmas!!
